Package for dispensing small quantities of liquid or gaseous radioactive substances.



E. FENDERL.

PACKAGE FOR DISPENSING SMALL QUANTlTIES 0F LIQUID 0R GASEOUS RADIO-ACTIVE SUBSTANCES.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 3. I912.

1,152,083. Patented Aug. 31,1915.

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EITORE FENDERL, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

PACKAGE FOR DISPENSING SMALL QUANTITIES OF LIQUID OR GASEOUS RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1 915.

Application filed September 3, 1912. Serial No. 718,325.

To (I' l whom it may concern Be it known that I, E'r'ronn FENDERL, of

7' Vienna, Austria-Hungary, and a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, have invented a new and useful Package for Dispensing Small Quantities of Liquid or Gaseous Radioactive Substances, of which tivity to such an extent, when coming into contact with air or with other gases, that the point of saturation with electrostatic *units of these substances becomes lost, whereby their state of electrostatic equilib rium is disturbed and they can no more be used for the purpose for which they have been destined.

In the expression radio-active substance or fluid, the applicant wishes to include any other substance of emanating capacity.

As air or other gas takes away the radioactivity from the substances, this has .until now been the great obstacle to the practical use of radio-active substances and respectively of other substances having emanating capacity. -This circumstance is very disadvantageous in dispensing portions of radioactive substances from a receptacle in which they are stored. To overcome this disadvantage, it has been proposed to store the substance in receptacles provided in the interior with movable parts or walls, by

which a reduction of the volume of the receptacle' is effected corresponding to the quantity of the dispensed substance. For this purpose rubber balloons which can expand or pistons or bellows have been used,

but all the apparatuses which are provided with movable displacing parts or parts changing the shape have other serious disadvantages. Rubber balloons can for instance not be used with alcoholic or etheric solutions nor with medical or other preparations, because the rubber would be dissolved. Pistons can never be arranged sufficiently tight neither with regard to the interior ofthe receptacle nor with regard to its exterlor, and it has therefore always "been found that the emanation is very quickly exhausted from liquids stored in such receptacles, or that the outside air will enter the receptacle when the atmospheric pressure is rising. Bellows will very soon become leaky in the folds, and receptacles having movable partitions are just as disadvantageous as regards cleanliness, because substances dissolved or contained in the stored liquid may precipitate and settle down in the slits or junctures between the walls of the receptacle and the movable or deformable partitions. Another disadvantage with such receptacles consists in the restriction as regards the shape of the receptacle, as of necessity, the receptacle must be shaped as a cylinder when provided with a piston, or made approximately s herical when provided with a balloon, if al liquid has to be removed from the receptacle. I

' Such apparatuses require also a great deal of attention bythe man who is dispensing the radio-active liquid and the manipulation of the displacing members is also tedious and inconvenient. All these disadvantages have been overcome in the present package for dispensing radio-active fluids in smaller or larger quantities.

According to my invention the radioactive fluid is confined in a receptacle having r1g1d walls and a cock, valve or similar closing means, and with this radio-active fluid is also confined a radio-active gas in the same receptacle at a pressure above the atmospheric pressure. Without the assistance of any outer force or other special disposition, this pressure acts to drive out the active substance which might disturb the state of radio-inactice equilibrium.

It is obvious, that the package" is distinguished by its simple effective and reliable working, as the apparatuses are working without requiring any devices located outside the apparatus or any outer forces; they are ready for use at any moment and Work as soonas the closing means are opened.

From these main characteristics can beseen that for the special purpose in the art ofcapacity, my apparatus is based upon quite new principles and that, when compared with other known means, offers an essentially higher degree of effectiveness from a technical and economical view point.

The packages may be'manufactured in different ways; for instance the pressure gas may be added to the already radio-active fluid or to a substance which is made radioactive by the addition of radio-active preparations before the fluid is introduced the receptacle, the pressure gas may be added subsequently. The pressure gas may in itself be radio-active, or it may be rendered radio-active by the influence of the radioactive fluid. The pressure of the gas may be obtained by pumping the gas into the receptacle or by bringing high pressure gases or even liquefied gases from a gas holder or storage tank through connecting pipes into the receptacle, or else by putting chemical preparations into the receptacle which form gases by decomposition. It would of course also be possible to introduce the pressure gas and the radio active fluid at the same time into the receptacle, and in thiscase the gas may even serve as the force for introducing the fluid When the 'fluid and the pressure gas are locked in the receptacle, the distribution is automatically effected as soon the closing member is opened.

The receptacle may be constructed in different shapes depending on special purposes for which the radio-active liquid or gas is to be used.

In the drawing, two forms of construction are by way of example schematically shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 1 shows a receptacle which may be used for dispensing radio-active fluids and which is also especially fit for dispensing water for cleaning the teeth and rinsing the mouth. It consists of a vessel a in which is .vessel has for its purpose to permit of the radio-active fluid leaving the pipe as far as possible below the level of the liquid which has to be enriched by the pressure gas, whereby the radio-activity is compelled to penetrate the whole volume of this fluid and enrich it in a most effective manner.

Fig. 2 shows another form of construction of the receptacle, which is provided with a discharge cock f below the level of the liquid and with a discharge cock 9 above the level of the liquid in order to be used either for discharging radio-active liquid at the bottom, or radio-activegas at the top of the vessel.

The packages according to my invention may not only be employed for medical or dietetic purposes, such as for drinking-water cures, baths, inhalations, waters for cleaning the teeth and rinsing the mouth; but may also be employed for other industrial purposes, when the distribution in small quantities of radio-activefluid might be required.

I claim:

1. A package consisting of an air-tight receptacle; a radio-active liquid contained .within said receptacle; and a volume of In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ETTORE FENDERL. Witnesses: I

RICHARD KoMINIK, AUGUST FUGGER. 

